Gut microbio ta and autism spectrum disorders

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders with clinical manifestation in childhood, characterized by diffi culties in social interaction and communication, limited interests, and repetitive behavior. In recent years, there has been a signifi cant increase in the prevalence of this disorder, currently aff ecting 1–2% of children. In pathophysiology, genetic factors are mainly used, which are also modified in their phenotypic expression by environmental factors. A large percentage of patients with ASD also have a variety of gastrointestinal problems; children experience constipation or diarrhea, fl atulence, or nonspecifi c abdominal pain. In last years, the connection of intestinal symptomatology with the manifestations of ASD has come to the forefront of scientifi c interest with the development of new molecular-bio logical methods of studying the community of intestinal microorganisms, the gut microbio ta. Communication between the gut and the CNS (the gut-brain axis) is made possible by a very complex two-way neurohumoral communication system. This system ensures the eff ect of the intestinal microbio ta on brain functions and allows the brain signals to aff ect the intestinal microbio ta activity and the gastrointestinal tract functions. This article focuses on various pathophysiological mechanisms involved in these processes and discusses in detail the possible therapeutic modalities that aff ect the gut microbio ta composition and function, such as the use of vancomycin, oxytocin, prebio tics and probio tics, as well as fecal transplantation, which has very promising results in relation to both gastrointestinal and ASD symptoms.